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FEATURE: What I learned from the Isaac Dogboe v Adam Lopez fight
Isaac Dogboe may be thinking of a second world title shot but his fight with Adam Lopez showed he still has a lot to work on.
The former WBO super bantamweight champion had what could be described as the second toughest bout of his career against Lopez but somehow managed to go through with a win.
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It was one of the moments in Dogboe’s career when his boxing ability was tested and even though he passed, it proved he still needs to work on certain aspects of his craft.
Dogboe’s first real career test was against Emanuel Navarrete and on two occasions, he fell to the Mexican.
The two consecutive defeats were heavily blamed on Dogboe’s inability to deal with Navarrete’s height and wider reach. That led to Dogboe making some changes in his corner by bringing on two experienced trainers, Patrice Harris and Barry Hunter.
However, Dogboe has failed to learn from his mistakes against Navarrete by allowing Lopez to trouble him with his height and reach advantage.
Watching the bout, one could tell that Lopez came into the fight using his reach and height advantage over Dogboe.
This will be a worrying situation for Dogboe if he fights with taller opponents continue to go this way. He could also risk finding it difficult at featherweight, considering the height and reach of fighters in the division.
Analysis
Dogboe was superb against Lopez in the first two rounds but the American came back stronger in the third and fourth.
The American tried to control the fight thereafter but Dogboe’s cornermen were too experienced for that. They ensured the Ghanaian switched strictly to boxing to deal with the heat and pressure from Lopez.
That helped Dogboe a lot in the final stages of the bout despite receiving a right uppercut in the ninth round. Dogboe turned to defensive display after that shot but had no option but to go offensive in the 10th and final round.
It turned out to be a give and take affair to finish off a thrilling encounter but in the end Dogboe cruised to a majority decision victory.
The win was a good one for Dogboe’s career revival but as well taught him and his cornermen to continue working on his height and reach disadvantage.
Dogboe must also work more on his defence going forward because in the fight with Lopez, he struggled to deal with the attacks the American came with.
If he is able to deal more with that, it will help him go a long way to deal with tougher oppositions in the ring.
Going forward
After that big win over Lopez, Dogboe could indeed land a shot at the WBO featherweight title but that means going head-to-head with Navarrete for the third time.
That could be suicidal to a fighter who is trying hard to regain his confidence in the ring following two painful defeats to Navarrete.
He might opt for a trilogy with Navarrete but I won’t advise he takes on the hard-hitting Mexican again. If for nothing at all he should consider challenging other winners in the division.
Champions such as Leo Santa Cruz (WBA) and Gary Russel Jr (WBC) could be challenged by Dogboe if he indeed wants to be a two-time world titlist.
The options are many for him and must not be restricted to Navarrete. Dogboe looks set for a career transformation but must deal with his deficiencies to enable him to get back to the top.
This, I believe, starts from his next bout. Who he decides to fight could prove where he wants to get to in the future. I do wish him well!
